OPEN CALL:Senegal For All Senses
Waaw is an artist/volunteer run residency, situated in the middle of the Saint-Louis island in the Senegal river. In Saint-Louis, the decay of the colonial town contrasts with the cultural expressions of modern West Africa.
We invite practitioners in all creative disciplines, as well as curators, journalists and researchers, to take part in the sensory feast of Saint-Louis. This residency provides a rare opportunity of living and working fully in the present. Instead of using the picturesque environment as fodder for your social media feeds, we rather encourage you to go off-line to the extent possible, and see what processes this may generate for your artistic practice and beyond.
A stay at Waaw allows for individual work in a semi-secluded setting, but community-oriented projects are also possible. In our selection, we generally favour projects with relevance to the Senegalese context. Maximum 6 residents will be working at Waaw at any one time. For this call, we will select 4 artists.
Duration of residency
1-2 months, February and/or March 2021.
Accommodation
The Waaw residency offers simple single or double room accommodation, arranged in a private house with a Senegalese family, at walking distance from the studios. See our website for details.
Disciplines, work equipment and assistance
Visual art in all its forms, sound art, music, dance, craft, design, architecture, writing. We have a library with books on Senegal, woodwork and leatherwork tools, a sewing machine and an easel. Musical instruments and some other equipment can be borrowed. Classes in traditional Sabar dance and drumming, languages (French, Wolof, Pulaar) can be arranged. There is free wifi – and the connection is OK by African standards – but we encourage you to take time off the net. See our website for more information.
Studio / Workspace
Five studios (between 12 and 16 m2) are available – equipped with tables or workbenches, shelves and seating. Be prepared to share.
Fees and support
The fee of €550 per month covers single-room accommodation, workspace and other facilities as well as project assistance. Waaw is non-profit, not financed by any public body, and fees goes toward paying the bills. We can offer no grants, but selected candidates who have paid the registration fee will be issued a letter of support for seeking financing elsewhere.
Expectations towards the artist
We see the residency as a communal experience, and you are expected to share knowledge with other artists and Waaw hosts. We would also like you to give an informal presentation of your artistic practice. End-of-residency exhibitions or shows are welcome – but not obligatory.
Application information
To apply, please send us an informal letter by email and tell us why you would like to come to Waaw and what you would like to do during your residency. One A4 will do fine. Please answer the questions listed on our website and link to relevant work or documentation of it online. We are not really interested in cv’s and artist statements. If you must attach files, please limit yourself to two single relevant works. Please make sure that your email message is not heavier than 10 MB. Our committee will announce its selection in late August.
Application deadline: 20/8/2020